Page 8 July 15, 2021 EL SEGUNDO HERALD
Sports from page 3
for Huber. Ayler’s sharp RBI single easily
scored McKinnon giving El Segundo the
walk-off thrilling 4-3 win with two outs.
After surviving a nail-biter, El Segundo
leaned on Dylan Garcia on the mound to
turn back Glendale 4-1. Garcia tossed six
solid innings giving up one run on two hits
while striking out seven.
El Segundo took an early 2-0 lead in the
first inning when Mateo Heredia singled,
and a pitch hit Ethan Ayler. RJ Puffer’s RBI
double-scored Heredia and Dylan Garcia’s
fielder’s choice scored Ayler. In the third
inning, Kyle Whalen’s RBI walk and Reed
Abrams RBI single gave their team a 4-1
lead. Garcia gave way to Owen Reed in the
seventh inning, and he set down Glendale to
get the save. El Segundo was limited to five
hits, including Puffer and Heredia, who each
had two hits, while Abrams had the other hit.
El Segundo advanced to the winner’s bracket
championship elimination game on Saturday
at 3:30 p.m. at Stengel Field (1601 Canada
Blvd., Glendale). The winner will advance to
the Pacific Southwest Regional Tournament in
Price, Utah, starting on July 25.
13s Win State Tournament
and Headed to Regional
El Segundo took advantage of 10 walks,
including three RBIs in their 6-4 win over
Westchester in their opener of the state tournament.
The locals threatened early by loading
the bases in the first inning when Samuel
Forthuber singled, followed by walks to Jamie
Owen and Jaiden Rico. Shaun Conley’s sharp
ground ball ended the inning. In the second
inning Brendon Pate, Remy Romero, and
Andre Sugden each singled to load the bases.
Benjamin Lee’s ground ball led Westchester
third baseman Lawrence Kesinger to the bag
for a force and then threw out Lee by a step
for an inning-ending double play.
Westchester scored two second-inning runs to
take a 2-0 lead. In the third inning, El Segundo
took advantage of some wildness to take a 4-2
lead. Anders Tipton walked, Forthuber singled,
and Owen reached on an error. Conley walked
to load the bases, and then consecutive RBI
walks to Pate, Romero, and Sugden gave El
Segundo the 4-2 advantage. In the fourth inning,
El Segundo extended their lead to 6-2
when Jamie Owen’s fielder’s choice scored
Benjamin Lee, who had reached on an error,
and Jayden Rico’s RBI single scored Tipton,
who drew a walk. Westchester put together a
two-run fifth inning to make it close, but El
Segundo held on for the 6-4 win.
El Segundo faced Heartwell in the first
elimination championship game. A win by
El Segundo would send them to the Pacific
Southwest Regional Tournament held in Fallon,
Nevada. So with a trip to the Regional
on the line, El Segundo took advantage of
eight walks and some timely hitting to defeat
Heartwell 12-2.
Spotting Heartwell a 2-0 first-inning lead,
they tied the game in the third inning when
Spencer Osbourne singled, and Jaiden Rico
walked. Both scored on a double by Aaron
Newman. El Segundo blew the game open in the
fourth inning by scoring seven runs on four hits
highlighted by a two-run double by Newman.
In the inning, El Segundo received three walks,
all of whom ended up scoring. In the fifth inning,
Andre Sugden and Remy Romero each
drew a walk, and Shaun Conley’s RBI double
made it 11-2. Anders Tipton’s RBI single ended
El Segundo’s scoring with a 12-2 win.
For the first time since 2013, El Segundo
will advance to the Pacific Southwest Regional
Tournament being held this year in Fallon,
Nevada starting July 25. The winner will
advance to the World Series in Jamestown,
New York, starting August 12.
American Legion Team
Looks Promising
El Segundo went 7-6 during the Pacific
League American Legion season. The District
Tournament format has been altered where
teams will host games instead of all games
held at one site. El Segundo faced Downey
on the road to open up their tournament
schedule. The winner of this tournament
will advance to the State tournament moved
from Yountville in the Napa Valley to Fresno.
El Segundo has been led by Jack Stoker
(1B/3B), Evan Smith (2B), Jack Aguilera
(3B), Brady Engelhardt (P/OF), Trevor Steele
(P/OF), and Conrad Bernstein (OF).
10-Year-Old Little League
All-Stars Advance to
Sectional Tournament
The lone El Segundo Little League All-Star
team to survive and win the District 36 Tournament
was the 10-year-olds. They came through
the loser’s bracket after losing their opener
6-2. They defeated Redondo Beach LL 15-0,
Hermosa Beach LL 12-0, Lunada Bay 20-0,
and Palos Verdes #2 15-1. They faced Palos
Anders Tipton’s two-run double gave his team a 12-2 win in the
Championship game
Verdes #1 in the first elimination championship
game and defeated Palos Verdes 6-1 to set up
a winner-take-all championship game.
They were falling behind 8-3. El Segundo’s
chances hinged in their final at bat in the sixth
inning. El Segundo’s high-scoring offense came
to life when they sent 18 batters to the plate,
The El Segundo Babe Ruth League 13-year-old team celebrates their win and will travel to Fallon, Nevada, to play in the Pacific
Southwest Tournament
pounded out 12 hits, and scored 13 runs to
take a 16-8 lead and go on for the win.
The team, which consists of Benny Baker,
Brody Brooks, Colby Lee, Crew O’Connor,
Declan McRoberts, Ethan Mooney, Finley
Green, Jaxon Kalish, Lennon Salazar, Logan
Meyer, Lucas Keldorf, Max Baker and Quinn
Boehle, advances to the Section 4 Tournament
starting on Saturday at 3 p.m. at Westchester
Little League. •
The El Segundo U10 All-Stars pose after winning the District 36 Tournament. They’ll start their Section 4 Tournament on Saturday at
Westchester Little League. Photo provided by Danny Boehle.
Gundo FC Crowned
2021 Champions
AYSO Region 92’s girls U12 travel team,
Gundo FC, were crowned 2021 champions this
past weekend at the Surf City Cup in Huntington
Beach. Coached by Jordan Stewart and Lance
Bustrom, it was only the girls second event since
CA guidelines eased up allowing tournament
participation again. Gundo FC breezed through
group play, beating Downtown LA SC, Santa
Anita SC, and LA Surf by a combined score of
14-0, before a 3-1 win in the final over Pateadores
HB. Goals from Reilly Stebbins, Teana Najjar,
and Sienna Mattoon secured the trophy
but it was Saya Elliott who topped the scoring
charts with seven. Gundo FC will be back in action
later this month and will be hoping they can bring
another first place trophy back to El Segundo! •
Top row from the left: Hannah Bustrom, Teana Najjar, Saya Elliott, Maddie Leitch, Natalie Nguyen. Bottom row from the left:
Riley Stewart, Sienna Mattoon, Olivia Torres, Ashlyn Ward, Reilly Stebbins, Kelina Harvey
Gilda Dyckman from front page
every car to pass smog check inspections.
In some states, any aftermarket catalytic
converter can be used for any engine in case
of a replacement, but in states with high
driving populations like California and New
York, the converter must match the executive
order number or engine family of the car. If
a replaced catalytic converter does not match
or is not on a list of acceptable aftermarket
options, the car will not pass a smog test,
filed under “emissions tamper.”
This means, for some cars like the Prius, the
converter must be replaced by the manufacturer
in the absence of an aftermarket option.
Dyckman cites an example of Hondas from
2005-2007, from which converters were being
stolen faster than the manufacturer could
replace them, so California had to grant an
extension on cars that were on a waiting list
for their new part.
El Segundo holds events like the recent
“Etch and Catch,” where residents can get
their catalytic converters engraved for free.
This can also be done any time, free of
cost, at Dyckman’s shop. As she explains,
if someone is pulled over and found to have
a catalytic converter in their trunk, there is
currently no way for police to track if it
belongs to the driver or not. However, if
the converter has a VIN number or other
identification tag etched into it, the police
can more easily track the part.
For a price, shields, and cages can also
be placed over converters to make it more
difficult to steal. According to Dyckman, it
takes about sixty seconds to steal a catalytic
converter, and more and more thefts are happening
in broad daylight. Because of this,
it’s also important to know what catalytic
converter theft looks like, so it can be caught
more easily by neighbors and witnesses.
“What you’re probably going to see is one
or a few people, and they’re usually going to
be in an unmarked car with no license plate,”
she explains. She also says to watch out for
sounds of a saw cutting metal, as typically
portable saws are used to get the part out
quickly. Often, she says, the process is tag
teamed, with one member jacking up the car
or waiting in the getaway car while the other
works underneath the car to get the stolen
part. Knowing what to look for, listen for,
and report, neighbors, can help each other
stop a crime in progress.
Manufacturers have recognized the black
market boom of rhodium and palladium
from their parts and have begun to attach
catalytic converters to the engine, making
it nearly impossible to steal without taking
the entire car apart. However, with over two
million automobiles currently registered in
LA County, the risk remains high. If you
want to get your converter etched, reach
out to ESPD for more resources, or visit
Dyckman’s shop in Redondo Beach to get
a free engraving. •